My army ant ecosystem is working! This happened...

This is my new tropical vivarium update! The two 'army ant' species inside are technically not the classic Dorylus army ant - but damn close in my opinion! They are all still flourishing together at this very moment and I hope you can trust me in making sure no congestion/animal cruelty occurs inside. Having seen these guys in nature all I can say that they are living according to their natural environment (as much as I can offer them at least!) :D.
DISCORD: / discord
TWITCH: / nordicants
Thank you for watching and have a fANTastic day!
Nordic ants
CREDITS
========================================================
PHOTOS:
(awesome dude, best ant photographer in the world in my opinion)
www.alexanderwild.com/search
MUSIC (same incredibly talented artist used throughout the entire video: Scott Buckley, he has many other songs check them out!):
Effervescence by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
Ascension by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Vanguard' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Victor Lux' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Escape Velocity' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Three Sheets To The Wind' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
I thank all these artists for their generous contributions! :D

[@Yoshi278]

I refuse to believe you can actually have two army ant colonies and a trap jaw ant colony successfully co-exist in a vivarium for any considerable amount of time lol. Also those are all snail eggs.

[@nordicants6232]

We will see!! I bet the opposite... but the moment bad things happen I will make sure to intervene. Ok so far :D

[@Yoshi278]

@@nordicants6232 best of luck then. It will be amazing to watch.

[@Hungary_0987]

@@nordicants6232well, it was fine so far in other places too…

[@frogprincess412]

Asian marauder ants are not true army ants, though they do raid nests sometimes, they have permanent nests. True army ants (as I'm sure you know) have temporary bivouacs made out of the actual ants. So maybe it will work, but I don't think so. Honestly, I have a difficult time seeing how any two ant colonies would thrive let alone survive in a vivarium least of all true army ants. It will be an interesting experiment and I know he will keep close watch and intervene if necessary.

[@Spacecadet3890]

​@@frogprincess412he had multiple species running for years

[@englishants7499]

One day I hope you make a coastal tank, maybe brackish water with mud skippers and fiddler crabs

[@nordicants6232]

Mud skippers are the dream man

[@englishants7499]

@@nordicants6232 they always are 🤣 Keep up the good work my friend 👍

[@Js-uz5sg]

You have serious narration talent man, this is like a budget David Attenborough film

[@jarodcallan4756]

For reference those eggs you're seeing are more than likely snail eggs as opposed to fish eggs

[@nordicants6232]

You are correct! Totally messed up xD

[@rocker8897]

Please give the shrimp some friends.

[@nordicants6232]

Very good idea!

[@Slop_Dogg]

@@nordicants6232Yeah, he needs some buddies!

[@MrDakotadinosaur]

Hell yea a new Nordic ants video!

[@nordicants6232]

:D!!!

[@MrDakotadinosaur]

@@nordicants6232 you are the person who has introduced me to the vivarium hobby thank you so much

[@jamesd5366]

14:56 my hunch is that they fool enemy ants into thinking they are nest-mates using tactile communication

[@nordicants6232]

That is my hunch too!! So cool no?? :D

[@IDK_1290]

R,I,P sludgy you will be remembered

[@nordicants6232]

Yeah so rip :,(((

[@DmGrimm]

Being honest man, the other fish and aquatic animals are probably eating the babies as they hatch or even still as eggs. Fish will even eat their own eggs and babies.

[@nordicants6232]

It was snail eggs apparently xD

[@KrisPSouls9258]

I like the animals that are in the water the newts, fish, shrimp and Loaches.

[@nordicants6232]

They like you too ;)

[@Trubadur420hehe]

Those eggs that you've seen in the water section were snail eggs

[@nordicants6232]

Yup just realised LOL xD so embarassing

[@dog_love3568]

i want more!

[@nordicants6232]

More to come :D

[@johnsurprise5708]

I could see some vampire crabs fitting in

[@Inverts4Introverts]

plot twist, the isopods eat the centipede as it molts. and that completes the circle of life.

[@nordicants6232]

Hahahaha real plot twist!

[@Inverts4Introverts]

@nordicants6232 jokes aside, I would be really sad if that happened. It happened to my dahaani. I came home the my isopods wear having them selfs a feast. Poor Mr.wiggles didn't have a chance.

[@theonlyshinyumbreon]

I really love the shots of marauder ant supermajors covered in workers. It's like watching a tank battalion mobilize.

[@sethmawson2220]

Good to hear the passion in your voice. Keep going man!

[@nordicants6232]

Thanks man ;D

[@philiplamberth490]

OMG!! I just LOVE this vivarium! Contiue doing this type of content please!

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@ElijahsAnts]

Absolutely amazing! Its great to see all life in the vivarium flourishing, the introduction of the Cerapachys colony will make things a lot more interesting, cant wait to see where thing go from here! This vivarium has even inspired me to create my own tropical tank, somewhat similar to the one you've made! Keep up this incredible work, looking forward to the next video! (Also may I suggest an arboreal ant species, Polyrhachis mitrata, they're small, bright red/orange weaver ants that dont grow into very large colonies and would be a really cool species to inhabit the canopy!)

[@BridgetScanlon-jh3dh]

i wish he would upload more often cause these videos are awsome

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you :D

[@ramseydoon8277]

5:17 salamanders and newts or axolotls(if the would do well in this vivarium)

[@Apple-ei1ms]

Looks like some aquatic snails eggs. I used to have bladder snail eggs all over my tank

[@nordicants6232]

Yeah you are correct!

[@skeleton2366]

When I read army ants I had hopes that you would let Neivamyrmex live there. But very nice video :)

[@nordicants6232]

I really want them!!! But do not have them unfortunately:(

[@skeleton2366]

@@nordicants6232 Oh :(. Also do you have a European vivarium with Lasius, Camponotus etc? :)

[@antyenclosures7578]

wow, very cool multi species tank. wonder how this will end up once the diversa grow into 10s of thousands

[@nordicants6232]

Yup… they are already at 10k though easy :D

[@animalintrovert3758]

I believe that those were snail eggs, but I’m not an expert.

[@nordicants6232]

They are! You are correct :,)

[@user-iq3cq5dp5d]

I have caught several Formica parasites last month and somehow we even have access to polyergus in Canada but unlike most Formica parasites I heard polyergus needs to be supplied regularly with brood which sucks cause I always wanted to try keeping them

[@nordicants6232]

Yeah its not easy!! Good luck with the Parasites you caught :D

[@user-iq3cq5dp5d]

@@nordicants6232 thank you! One day I will make a vivarium big enough for a colony of parasitic Formica to build their famous huge thatch nests. You are an inspiration to us antkeepers, even here in Canada!

[@Hamishtarah]

Very entertaining filming, thank you!

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you so much man!!! Hope to see you next video :D

[@Hamishtarah]

Definitely :) @@nordicants6232

[@ASSASSIN8320]

Very awesome, as always. For the next vid, i would appreciate footage of the centipede, should you have anything interesting. Also,what will happen if the newts grow up and leave the water, won´t they be in danger of predation by it?

[@nordicants6232]

Yes its suuuuper illusive… I try film it all I can but its almost never out xD

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

You create such beautiful environments. A joy to watch.

[@kaidenworrell7828]

You should add a fishing spider if you wanna see extremely unique behaviour

[@cactusark7172]

i would like to see dart frogs added

[@nordicants6232]

Hmmm maybe! Wouldnt they be in danger though?

[@dirtywhitellama]

That doesn't sound like a good idea for this tank. Either the darts would get overwhelmed by not having enough space to get away from aggressive arthropods, or...I mean, ant eating is what makes them poisonous in the wild...

[@tamarrajames3590]

@@dirtywhitellamaThey are pretty fast, and with planning, they could have a safe zone created where the ants can’t swarm them. They manage to eat many in the wild. Even if you put an iguana in there as a predator there is a risk, because those ants are intense, the only saving grace is that they prefer to hunt on the ground.🖤🇨🇦

[@gaming_gecko6890]

Great video man! The eggs in the pond are from snail btw 😅

[@leihaodabendemeerss9115]

"call me a madman". Ok madman.

[@nordicants6232]

xD

[@oliverforde1115]

I thought army ants couldn't be kept in captivity? or is it just a certain species either way this is amazing!

[@nordicants6232]

Its a certain species! (Both) the true army ants are almost impossible lol :D

[@oliverforde1115]

@@nordicants6232 ah that makes sense I thought your where a mad man haha but it seems to be working perfectly!

[@savagefoxdesigns6692]

If its said to be impossible thats just because nobody has figured out how to do it properly. My opinion is anything is possible so long as it doesn't break the laws of physics. The more difficult species to keep or ones yet to be successfully kept in captivity usually require other symbiotic relationships possibly not yet known to science or very specific conditions that are very hard to replicate.

[@HeriqueMartins]

Well Edward O. Wilson in his book said he kept one for a while to study and found a new species of parasitic beetle.

[@vercingetorigesforza1069]

the eggs are snail's egg, they simply hatch and the rest are eaten. rasboras are egg scatterer, you can find some in roots maybe, but it's difficult to see them

[@onepieceboll]

I really like this video!

[@nordicants6232]

I really like you! :D

[@johnnycraft4583]

You should make a vivarium filled either only passive ant colonies or a vivarium with colonial tarantulas, or even have leafcutter ants in the vivarium since they're known to be one of the few ant species to stand toe to toe against army ants and ither aggressive ant specie. You should also try acorn ants due to their passive behavior and their size, maybe even some of the ant species that Antscanada himself is recently keeping.

[@nordicants6232]

Many good ideas!! some a bit hard for me rn but will defo make sure to consider them. Leafcutter ant colonies are so huge I dont imagine being able to give them enough space for a whilleeeee

[@tamarrajames3590]

Maybe see how the current 4 colonies fare before trying to add any more?🖤🇨🇦

[@antheapchannel1472]

Leafcutter ants need a ridiculous amount of nesting space. Maybe a small Acromyrmex colony might just barely fit into a vivarium but not for long. And they will wreck any plants they find suitable for harvesting.

[@Rangomeri]

vivarium with: paraponera clavata gigantiops destructor odontomachus chelifer pepsis grossa blaberus gigantea nyctibora humeralis scolopendra gigantea barydesmus sp theraphosa blondi porcellionides pruinosus ligia platycephala porcellio laevis

[@ElijahsAnts]

Leafcutters in a naturalistic tank would be sick, but it'd be difficult to pull off, and the only army ants they come across are far greater than the ones Nordic has, such as Eciton and Nomamyrmex, both of which are impossible to keep in captivity, although a South American vivarium would be insane!

[@gilliesiut2332]

I believe the ability is a formic acid spray

[@Mt.Everest2]

At 7:48 you could see a male ant feasting on the slug

[@nordicants6232]

:o

[@CryptidGrimm]

this is awesome! what size is this vivarium? How much food do you put inside weekly? I love the predators you have placed inside!

[@jasonhedtke659]

I think an African Dwarf Frog would be cool to see in the pond 👀

[@nordicants6232]

Noted!

[@KingTrollolol]

African Dwarf Frogs are semi-social. If you're going to have them you need two minimum, one of each gender. They don't marry the way like termites do but they're still frogs and horney and will have noticible behavior difference if there is no mate in the same body of water.

[@Apv23-]

You should add a crawfish to the mix

[@nordicants6232]

Will think of it!!

[@KingTrollolol]

Crayfish, if not introduced to an established ecosystem as a juvenile, will view alsmost everything in their new waters as food.

[@TheMiffi1984]

Good work on the video. Loving the vivarium. Is your name Martin?

[@ismewhat1234]

Looking amazing great video thanks. Hope to see more enjoy your weekend 🤙

[@nordicants6232]

Thanks! You too! :D

[@aceplayer-vd4zr]

How many gallons are these tanks? Nice vivariums btw. I like how you can keep so many species in one. Keep up the good job!

[@Chiaooxd]

Omfg so nice new upload! Was just saying to myself that I wondered if you had posted something new and then I see 2 hours AFP 😍😍😍💯💯💯

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you so much!!! :D

[@Luigi-gi5ys]

Hey, amazing video! I really loved it. Are there any termites in there, or am I mistaking it with another vivarium, and if there are any how are thed doing?

[@nordicants6232]

You are mistaking it for the old tropical vivarium!!! Miss my termites there :(

[@Luigi-gi5ys]

@@nordicants6232 Oh okay, makes sense tough, termites in there would probably not last long. Hope we see some termites in the future tough maybe, I love those!

[@akenon5901]

Every living organism with a brain feels pain acutely and precisely, after all, pain is a vital tool for survival, to know where, when, how hard and by what it is being damaged..

[@GhanonSlayer]

shrimps in the water would be nice :)

[@henrik1860]

Love your videos, please keep us updated

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you :D will do!

[@Hungary_0987]

FINALLY UPLOADS! ANT LOVE FOREVER!

[@nordicants6232]

Ant love!!!

[@Hungary_0987]

@@nordicants6232 YES HE ANSWERED ME THANK YOU

[@hipotamo]

Rip pancake slug

[@nordicants6232]

Such a massive rip man….

[@AntsScandinavia]

Stepped up your sound game a lot bro! Lovely stuff as always. Keep updating us! Btw, Those shy wanderers, were those mine? If so, they were found in a tree, behind some rotten bark. Perhaps exploitable arboreal behaviour?

[@ayh4968]

Do you do any water changes or add filtration to the water area? Or is it fine without these two things?

[@nordicants6232]

I have a small water filter and the water pump :D

[@nordicants6232]

Join the discord to know when the vivarium streams on twitch are on: discord.gg/vB2MmCKyjN Thanks for watching and have a fANTastic day :D! Also what other marine inhabitants do you want?

[@theaquascapecorner]

Neocaridina shrimp would be cool, and maybe some frog species. Also, the word “marine” is only used to describe saltwater ecosystems, you would just refer to it as freshwater. Love the video!

[@tamarrajames3590]

Maybe some cherry shrimp? More amphibians would be cool too, newts and frogs…maybe even a small turtle species.🖤🇨🇦

[@kevinpoe8137]

Aren’t you worried that the marauder ants will eventually take over the entire enclosure

[@nordicants6232]

Noo not for now! And if they do I will vacuum them all up :D

[@tamarrajames3590]

@@nordicants6232Now THERE is a Deus Ex Machina if I ever saw one.🖤🇨🇦

[@solsolsolomon]

Dude I just remembered your videos from years ago about having army ants. I'm impressed you're still alive and still have em ☠️

[@toastist7010]

Really nice and relaxing video. Always love to see more of these videos where other animals get the spotlight for a while. One animal I'd like to see in the pond would be Fairy Shrimps. (They're like freshwater brine shrimps)

[@nordicants6232]

Ouuuu thats awesome!!! Thanks sm for the idea

[@tamarrajames3590]

Crayfish could be interesting additions as well.🖤🇨🇦

[@verilliumfunk4886]

have you thought about archerfish? or a small aquatic frog maybe? i feel like the ants can keep up with being hunted and might prolong the great ant war lol. Also would love to see a carnivorous plant ecosystem!

[@nordicants6232]

I have thought about both!!! And trying to figure out ant hunters for sure as well xD

[@ameise1595]

Unfortunately the archerfish would be too large the smallest speicies is the clouded archerfish whitch is 15cm minimum adult sise comunal fish Thry are also south american if that clashes with the primarily asian ecosystem but i asume it dosent matter if he has cherry shrimp Also african dwarf frogs would work well for that sise. They are fully aquatic and wouldnt get eaten by ants or centipedes

[@Deadbynaptime]

This was enjoyable to watch, thank you for your videos!

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you for watching man! :D

[@ryanhill2496]

Some sort of fresh water crabs would be cool

[@thesupertaco1934]

Add another termite colony they usually very good at repelling army ant incursions

[@sleepytretre1277]

You should add a velvet worm

[@nordicants6232]

Omg that would be so epic

[@shadowginger7989]

Those eggs in the water look like snail eggs - they encase them in that jelly like substance. If the fish spawn they will most like scatter the eggs on the substrate or some kind of root/moss.

[@nordicants6232]

Yup you are so right!! Realised with all the comments… thanks :D

[@ghostbirdlary]

brooo no shot 2 army ant colonies and that wholesome trapjaw ant colony can live in a vivarium that small. if you have to take one side out, take the army ants out, trapjaw ants are just too cool to take out and army ants are really agressive and might wipe everythong in the take outside the water out

[@nordicants6232]

I completely agree! Abd defo the marauder ants as they do best in non vivarium setup compared to the others :D

[@pilzenkillero3o700]

just found your channel. looks so interesting. keep up the good work. cheers! 🤗

[@klippoklapp]

Wow. What a great video! And what a beautiful place you have created. This is by far my favourite KZbin channel. ❤

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you so much :D hahaha ha det bra!

[@tanker965]

I’ve been watching this channel for a while and you are so underrated for you ecosystem builds everything is 5 star besides camera quality but I have horrible quality so that doesn’t even matter, you make a ecosystem look so easy to make. And that editing is amazing.

[@ameise1595]

Those eggs are bladdersnail eggsacks btw. The tiny snails are barely visible Also it would be more apropriate to have a group of 6or more khuli loach as 3 would not be classified as a group 6may aloe you to see them more often I worked at a good quality fish shop for a few years and have done a lot of reasearch

[@zefisherman607]

They’re not fish eggs but pond snail eggs 🥚

[@nordicants6232]

Just realised!!! My goodness xD

[@axolotl1976]

Awesome!! Great video.

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you! :D

[@_mikolaj_]

Yknow These eggs youve shown in aquatic section at the beginning of the video, they dont look like fish eggs, they look like snail eggs

[@GetgreeD]

I am worried about that Newt... he will find a nasty Death when taking his first Steps on the Land. Also i wonder how your Slowworm is doing in that other Tank?

[@gzuspeterson4748]

If they eggs are flat like that they are snail eggs.

[@nordicants6232]

Yep you are correct just realised xD

[@gzuspeterson4748]

@nordicants6232 don't be ashamed I have a bunch of fish tanks that have ramshorn snails as cleanup crew and their eggs had me thinking my fish laid eggs as well

[@mellewedin8221]

I took am sad about the pancake slug. I hope they mated before the centipede bit it.

[@nordicants6232]

Yeahhhh me too :((( literally such a depressing happening. Damn centipede didnt even eat it!

[@alexanderacevedo1610]

You should have very long terrariums

[@thurguud]

Those are snail eggs... sure you will see micro snails from the eggs that dissapeared if you search for them. Probably bladder snails, ramshorn snails or malasyan trumpet snail (these hide underground and usually come out at night). Fresh water fish eggs normally are not inside of a gelatin sack, they are way bigger and the parents usually oxigenate and clean them constantly

[@Ben-jl9bq]

6:13 those are snail eggs man

[@ethanford9852]

It’s called stings or Formica acid btw

[@tamarrajames3590]

Sorry I’m a day late, I’m stuck in hospital for a few more days. I hope you didn’t think I had deserted you, that will never happen. So happy to see this notification. The vivarium is glorious…it’s hard to believe how much life has expanded into the space. Loving the look of your new colony, and they look well able to hold their own, whatever comes. Poor slug…and the centipede didn’t even eat him…which appears to have pleased the ants very well. The water area is stunning, and looks very healthy. Nature is awesome in Her ability to foster life everywhere. I love the way you have created such a fantastic and lush place for us to watch that great drama play out. Your choices of creatures and plants to live in this rough paradise is fascinating, and considered…I think you might just manage to make it work among the ants. I just hope the rest of the denizens are ready and able to breed quickly. I thought we had a frog in there, but may be confused. Thanks so much for this exciting update…I love it.🖤🇨🇦

[@Sinostaga]

Gotta love these vids

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you :D!!!

[@pailhorsegaming6762]

So, coming back to this video. I’d LOVE if you uploaded your streams to youtube. Id watch the hell out of them!

[@lietuvospatriotasnr1678]

My guy you never dissappint!! You are one of my fav antrubers your videos are up there with antscanada ecs you deserve way more subs and likes. Keep up the vids ! ❤

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you

[@finnmaunsell7150]

YESS NORDIC ANTS UPLOADSDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@nordicants6232]

WUOIIIII

[@finnmaunsell7150]

@@nordicants6232 no joke u are actually on my top 3 favorite youtubers of all time

[@correlolelo]

Amazing! How do you keep your body of water so clear? Mine gets all murky from debris falling in and stuff

[@nordicants6232]

I have a filter I change frequenly ;) and then false bottom too so that it never really touches the dirt

[@laodarz4840]

imagine eciton army ants in a setup

[@nordicants6232]

I cant imagine it lol

[@Holmesisaok]

Awesome vid. Where the spiders at though?

[@thestondfrog]

proud of you man been with you from the first vid

[@nordicants6232]

Thats amazing!! Thank you so so much for sticking around :D value you a lot

[@nick92028]

5:21 LOL Those are snail eggs. Not fish eggs.

[@ramseydoon8277]

7:59 is the species of centipede which killed the slug venomous?

[@MinhHieu-ie6eh]

Hey NA how many gallon is that water pond in the vivarium ?

[@nordicants6232]

I dont know! :o

[@MinhHieu-ie6eh]

Hm you know it were be cool if you could add a centerpiece fish in the water pond like sparkling gourami, honey gourami, or peacock gudeon.

[@reosen]

Yes!

[@nordicants6232]

Oui!

[@cat_goes_meow139]

You should get a large amphibian for the pond like a turtle or salamander

[@nordicants6232]

Hmmm yes! Will see. They need to be able to not get swarmed by the marauders :D

[@cat_goes_meow139]

@@nordicants6232 would they really be able to take on a turtle or large salamander? Seems kinda hard, but I know those ants are crazy sauce.

[@tamarrajames3590]

@@nordicants6232A species of box turtle might manage, as they are able to close their shell so tightly that even the ants couldn’t get in.🖤🇨🇦

[@SyntheticAnger3993]

you should add poison dart frogs to one of your terrariums they will eat ants, are highly social living in large groups, and will naturally reproduce if you have a water feature

[@ramseydoon8277]

Please do an exclusively Nordic tank! Any Nordic biome. Maybe Norra barrskogsregionen? Or maybe just put a tank outside and fill it with snow and film the snow for a year. Sort of Bergman-esque.

[@BryGoose]

Love the videos keep em coming

[@nordicants6232]

Thank you man!! :D

[@hazewolf5381]

what other ants speices will you add

[@nordicants6232]

Nothing for now! If all goes well maybe an arboreal one :D

[@jakerubino3233]

Scolopendra like big fat slugs to gorge on! Wonder how long they will remain undigested. What makes you assume molluscs would not have any sensory ability to register pain?

[@jonathanthompson4734]

I had to give my ants away so your channel helps!

[@nordicants6232]

Very happy to :D sad to hear you had to give em away :(

[@yuri_the_madman1944]

Like many myrmecophagous ants, O. biroi exhibits synchronized oviposition and cyclic behavior, shifting between a reproductive phase and a foraging phase.[9][10] The reproductive phase begins when a cohort of larvae pupate and all the adults in the colony activate their ovaries. Thelytokously produced eggs are then laid synchronously after about four days and develop for roughly 10 days while the adults remain within the nest, cleaning and tending the eggs and pupae. Eggs hatch roughly two weeks into the reproductive phase, and then a few days later, the foraging phase begins with emergence of new adults from the pupae. Adults forage for the next two weeks, raiding the nests of other ant species to bring back food for the larvae. The cycle completes with the pupation of the new larval cohort and the resumption of the reproductive phase.... i ripped this from wikipedia

[@lordlard2833]

Those eggs look to all be snail eggs. Still good to see. I believe the loaches will eat them.

[@nordicants6232]

Damn the loaches eat them?? Thats awesome. And yes realised about the snaileggs lol… ahahahah so bad